ELDER JEFF DESPAIN

Monday, May 7, 2012

I'm sorry, I had several things come up today that I needed to go and do,
so this was the first chance that I had to get on and send an email!

I'm doing good, today was fun, we got up and played basketball in the
morning with all of the elders. The elders who are working in Villa Francisca,
which is the ward north of us, are living with us right now, and guess who is
serving there, Elder Irizarry! (This is the new missionary that just arrived from Gilbert!) It's been sweet, I just feel kind of bad for
them because they really have to walk a long ways everyday to get to their area and
back. They are a companionship that got put into that area this transfer, and
they haven't been able to get a house all set up for them yet. Villa Francisca
is kind of a hard place to find a house in, because it's a really poor and a
really dangerous area. I went to the old house that they used when there were
missionaries there before (I had been there on exchanges because Maria
Auxiliadora and La Cienaga actually border Villa Francisca on the north border
of the ward limits) and it wasn't a very nice house, it was really small, and it
didn't get water all of the time. Elder Jensen who I was with in Aruba actually
served there for a while. But, the Elders have found a house in Villa
Francisca, but there are a few things that need to be fixed on it before the
elders can move there, so they are working on that right now. It's been sweet
living in the same house with Elder Irizarry, we have found out about so many
people that we both know and different things that we have in common from
Gilbert. It's been cool!

(We asked about Elder Jenson that was Jeff's companion in Aruba.) I don't know if I told you last time, but Elder Jensen is my Zone Leader
now!!!! He got called back from the islands straight to be the zone leader of
Santo Domingo. I've seen him several times already, and I actually got to go
and pick him up from the airport, so it was awesome! He is doing great, I can't
believe that he finishes in four weeks! He told me that Snow College will be playing
MCC on October 7th I think at Mesa, so I will definatley go there! That is so
cool! And he will hopefully be able to play EAC next year too, so I hope that
they go to Eastern so that I can see that one in the Gila Valley too! I miss
that place! (Elder Jensen plays football for Snow College.)

I got a lot done this week, it was just really busy again. We had several
late nights, and so I'm a little tired, but it will all be alright in the end.
I'm doing good, now I have to start getting ready for the audit. It looks like
they're going to re-plan it later after they do the audits in the other
missions.

Thanks so much for taking care of all of my stuff on my MYASU account, I
really appreciate that, it has been a huge help to me!

Alma is doing great, she had her interview on Saturday and she is good to
go for this weekend! It will be sweet to see her baptized, even though I
haven't been a part the whole two years of her investigating the Church, she
really has waited a long time for this, and that will be a sweet baptism!

Juan Carlos is doing good too, we passed by yesterday, and he seems like he
has a desire to do what's right. He just has to keep marching forward and
preparing, and I think that he can be ready. We really have been blessed by the
Lord with a lot of success in such a short time.

Yes, there is font here in the building we use, so no more baptisms in the Ocean, haha, but I had my fair
share of them.

I think that Ulda is going to have to declare herself all over again to get
her papers right. That requires money and two or three witnesses if I remember
right to be able to get that done, but we know that the Lord has a Plan with
everything.

I got my itinerary today for my flight home. It's kind of weird, I don't
think that the times are right yet, but I will be flying the 17th of July, and
I'm pretty sure that most of the time the Arizona elders get home by about 3 PM
or 4 PM Arizona time. That should be a Tuesday. I will let you know when I get
final word on the times, but it should be those days.

President Buckley and Brother Webb from the Saint Nicholas Branch in Aruba
are here right now, and President is going to let me go to the Temple with them
tomorrow! What a blessing!

My companions say that it is fine for us to do the Mothers Day call at 4:30 PM this
Sunday. That should be 1:30 your time. It would probably be the best quality for you to call me here in the
office. If something happens, we will just switch to my cell.

Well, I better go. I love you all and I thank you for the wonderful people
that you are. I have been so blessed with good examples in my life. I hope
that you all have a great week and I will hear from you on Sunday!

Love,

Elder DeSpain

P.S. Thanks for the pictures of Fathers and Sons. Wow! I can't believe how different Todd looks! He is tall! That is crazy!

The only items that are allowed to be sent through the pouch mail system are postcards and letters that are single sheet, folded into three-panels, and taped at the top only (no envelopes).
. . . or . . .
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